From China to America: The Parallel Lives of Two Disabled Women

Chen Minghua and Chen Chunchun have a lot in common. They both contracted polio at a young age, were abandoned by their families, and grew up together in the same Chinese orphanage — which gave them the same family name. But in 2001, Minghua, then 11 years old, was adopted by an American family, embarking on a new life and leaving Chunchun behind.

The “sisters,” as they refer to each other, lost contact until 2011, when Minghua was offered an internship in China and visited the orphanage where Chunchun still lives. The two women have kept in touch ever since, video-calling each other frequently.

Chen Chunchun sits in bed after showering at a budget hotel in Jiashan, Zhejiang province, May 25, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

Chunchun is unflinching about her physical disability. “This is just me,” she says. “I can’t hide it, and I don’t want to hide it.” Her spine is bent as a result of polio, putting pressure on her organs and making it difficult to breathe.

Chunchun lives a relatively happy life in Chenzhou, a city in central China’s Hunan province. She has her own room at the orphanage, which provides her with the basic necessities for a life with dignity. However, she would rather she didn’t have to rely on others so much when going outdoors. As facilities for the disabled are uncommon in prefecture-level cities like Chenzhou, Chunchun has to ask her male friends for help getting on and off public transport.

Two years ago, Chunchun met Lei Yu, a blind masseur who would later become her partner. Lei is Chunchun’s feet; Chunchun is Lei’s eyes. Though Chunchun and Lei have not registered for a marriage license, they have abundant respect and affection for one other. “Two people in love, that’s all there is,” says Chunchun. “Many of my friends are married or divorced, but I am perfectly satisfied with the present situation.” Lei’s children call Chunchun “Mommy.”

Chunchun used to make and sell handicrafts, and more recently she’s been going out onto busy streets to sing for passersby. With Lei and other friends, she founded a team of street performers with disabilities. They travel from town to town putting on two- or three-hour shows, singing, dancing, and doing acrobatic stunts in exchange for donations from spectators. Sometimes the whole team might earn less than 1,000 yuan ($145). After subtracting costs, there is often nothing left. Chunchun, normally strong and stable, can’t help but feel demoralized when this happens.

On the other side of the world, Minghua lives a markedly different life. At the London School of Economics (LSE), she is studying for her master’s degree. Minghua feels satisfied with the campus’s accessibility features, which make her daily life safe and relatively easy.

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Chen Minghua sits on a rooftop at the London School of Economics, June 7, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun sings in a public square as a spectator gives a donation in Jiashan, Zhejiang province, May 26, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua returns a stack of books at the London School of Economics library, June 7, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun’s partner Lei Yu helps her alight from a bus in Chenzhou, Hunan province, May 22, 2016. Chen often requires assistance on public transport in China, which is not well-adapted to people with disabilities. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun prepares to use a toilet in Chenzhou, Hunan province, May 22, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua holds the end of a red cable connected to an emergency alert system in her bathroom in London, June 8, 2016. Her dorm is designed for students with disabilities and has a wide range of accessibility features. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua poses for a photo at the desk in her dorm in London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun and her partner Lei Yu eat lunch with other street performers with disabilities at a budget hotel in Jiashan, Zhejiang province, May 25, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua laughs while talking to her classmates during a meal in London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun’s friend sits on her lap holding an umbrella to shield them from the rain in Chenzhou, Hunan province, May 21, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua crosses the road as an umbrella attached to her wheelchair shields her from rain, London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun, Lei Yu, and his two children cross the road on their way to a park in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, May 23, 2016. Both of Lei’s girls call Chen ‘Mommy.’ Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua gazes upward in the National Gallery in London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun argues with a security guard who is trying to drive her and the other street performers away from a city square in Jiashan, Zhejiang province, May 25, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua greets an elderly man on the street in London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Women stare at Chen Chunchun as she shops for clothes at a mall in Chenzhou, Hunan province, May 23, 2016. Chen says she has become used to the stares when she goes out in public. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Chunchun poses for a fake wedding photo with her partner Lei Yu in Jiashan, Zhejiang province, May 25 2016. Although they are not officially married, Chen and Lei think of each other as wife and husband. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua points to a pillowcase with her name on it at her dorm in London, June 8, 2016. The pillowcase, made for Chen by her adoptive mother, features red chili peppers — an homage to her home province of Hunan. Zhang Lijie fo

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Chen Chunchun and her partner Lei Yu go for an evening stroll in an alley in Chenzhou, Hunan province, May 21, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

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Chen Minghua rolls her wheelchair across the Millennium Bridge, with St. Paul’s Cathedral visible in the background, London, June 9, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

Minghua lived in Oregon with her adoptive family — a mom, dad, and two brothers who treated her as one of their own. After living independently for years, Minghua can both take care of herself and lend a hand to others.

After finishing her bachelor’s degree, Minghua moved to New York to work in administration and translation. Though her job wasn’t bad, Minghua hoped to continue her education. After working for two years, she was admitted to a master’s program in the history of international relations at LSE.

Chen Minghua attempts to cross the raised threshold of a restaurant in London, June 8, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

Minghua can go just about anywhere she wants in London, which has a reputation for being wheelchair-accessible. However, seemingly insignificant aspects of everyday life, such as steps in front of restaurants, are still an obstacle for her. Minghua says she feels embarrassed when she has to rely on other people to help her move, so she tends to avoid eating out.

With the help of her adoptive parents, Minghua underwent a successful orthopedic surgery after she arrived in the U.S. The operation lasted 12 hours and prevented Minghua’s spine from curving further.

Chen Minghua chats with her friend Chen Chunchun during a video call from her dorm room in London, June 7, 2016. Zhang Lijie for Sixth Tone

Although Chunchun missed out on the ideal window for surgery, Minghua has been in contact with an international medical organization inquiring about treatment plans for Chunchun. After surgery, Chunchun would be able to breathe more easily, and Minghua says it’s her dream to help her friend get the same treatment she did.

Though Chunchun and Minghua live on separate continents, the distance doesn’t separate them. Even after so many years apart, Chunchun still considers Minghua her closest friend.

Correction: Chen Minghua’s family is her adoptive family, not her foster family, and her major is history of international relations, not international politics.